The actress accompanied her The Cosby Show co-star into the Montgomery County Courthouse in Pennsylvania on 5 June (17) for the first day of his criminal trial, and told reporters she was there to hear “the truth” and lend her support to the troubled funnyman because “it’s what you do” for friends.
Previous reports claimed that Cosby might manage to walk away from the three counts of felony charges that were filed against him from supposedly drugging and sexually assaulting women in the past.
As the jury decides Bill Cosby’s fate, the now tarnished comedic actor addressed media, onlookers and fans assembled outside the Philadelphia municipal court building. “It is exhausting work and the day has to come to an end”, Judge Steven O’Neill told the sequestered jurors when they asked to return to their hotel at 9:20 p.m., after a 12-hour day.
The jury began deliberations late on Monday, and the sessions have stretched past 9pm on that day and Tuesday, for a total of 18 hours. They are still ongoing at this time.
The jurors have asked Judge O’Neill a total of four questions seeking clarification and re-reading of excerpts of Cosby’s own words about his 2004 encounter with accuser Andrea Constand at his nearby home.
The jury resumed deliberations after having the testimony read back to them and listening again to the definition of reasonable doubt, the threshold that prosecutions must cross to win a conviction Jada Smith.
Constand testified the pills, which she said Cosby suggested were herbal, left her disoriented and unable to resist him.
If Cosby is found guilty, Pulliam said she would be “disappointed”, adding, “I’m gonna have to just cross that bridge when I come to it”.
In one of the biggest USA celebrity trials in years, a guilty verdict could see the judge sentence Cosby up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine on each count.
But Constand’s is the only criminal case against him as under United States statues of limitations. They included Cosby testifying he wanted have a “romantic” relationship with Constand from the moment he saw her and strategized how to build her trust.
He said he was content with the “petting” and touching the two had taken part in; on one occasion, when he was kissing her breasts, she said stop and he immediately complied.
The defense argues that Cosby and Constand were lovers sharing a consensual sexual encounter.
He purchased a $250 hair dryer and encouraged her to change her hairstyle, Mr. Cosby said.
But Cosby said the pills were Benadryl, an over-the-counter cold and allergy medicine. Yet he also said she made “a sound I think is orgasm”. Brian McMonagle, one of Cosby’s lawyers, highlighted Constand’s inconsistencies.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Constand has done. Cosby would be required to register as a sex offender, Montgomery County District Attorney spokeswoman Kate Delano told ABC News, and would undergo sexual violent predator analysis to determine how long he would need to remain registered, as well as a more typical pre-sentencing investigation. Cosby is accused of raping a woman who was 15 years old at the time. In her statement on Facebook in April, Cosby’s youngest daughter, Evin, admitted that “like many celebrities tempted by opportunity, he had his affairs, but that was between him and my mother”. Attorney Gloria Allred confirmed that a civil case against Cosby is scheduled to start later this month in California.